Fissionable material energy extraction system

A system for extracting energy from fissionable material, the system comprising:

• a reaction vessel comprising:
• a reaction chamber filled with a liquid fissionable material comprising non-weapons grade plutonium, the reaction chamber sized and shaped to sustain neutron generation when the liquid fissionable material is below a selected temperature,
• an expansion chamber for receiving liquid fissionable material from the reaction chamber in response to expansion of the liquid fissionable material when the liquid fissionable material is above the selected temperature,
• wherein the expansion chamber is shaped to reduce the volumetric fill ratio of the liquid fissionable material and thereby dampen neutron generation from the liquid fissionable material without external or active control in response to non-evaporative expansion of the liquid fissionable material into the expansion chamber when the liquid fissionable material is above the selected temperature;
• a drainage tube for draining liquid fissionable material from the reaction chamber into a storage vessel;
• a displacement gas pump configured to pressurize the storage vessel with a displacement gas and maintain liquid fissionable material within the reaction chamber;
• and
• a leakage channel for leaking the displacement gas from the storage vessel and thereby cause the liquid fissionable material to flow into the storage vessel when the storage vessel is no longer pressurized by the pump;
• and
• a sub-critical collection of fissionable material proximate to the reaction chamber, the sub-critical collection of fissionable material configured to support a non-sustaining plurality of fission events from neutrons received from the reaction chamber.